Derry progress in style

Rory Patterson netted a hat-trick as Derry City won 5-0 at Aberystwyth Town on Thursday to wrap up an emphatic aggregate victory and seal their place in the second qualifying round of the Europa League.

The League of Ireland Premier Division visitors went into the game already with a handsome advantage over their Welsh Premier League opponents, having triumphed 4-0 in the opening leg of the first qualifying round tie.

And they swiftly added to it at Park Avenue, with Michael Duffy putting them 1-0 up on the night in the 11th minute and Barry McNamee doubling that lead just three minutes later.

Northern Ireland forward Patterson scored his first on the hour mark and then netted twice in quick succession (84 and 86) late on - the final effort being a penalty, awarded for a Luke Sherbon foul on Mark Timlim - to complete the 9-0 overall rout.

Two other League of Ireland Premier Division outfits also progressed on Thursday in Sligo and Dundalk.

Sligo were another to post a comprehensive result, thumping Lithuanians Banga, who they had drawn 0-0 with away, 4-0 at The Showgrounds.

Alan Keane put the hosts 1-0 up in first-half stoppage time, and after Karolis Urbaitis was sent off for the away side in the 68th minute, Sligo made the most as Aaron Greene (72), Danny North (83) and David Cawley (89) also got on the scoresheet.

Dundalk saw off Luxembourg's Jeunesse Esch 3-1 at home for a 5-1 aggregate victory, with goals from Brian Gartland, Kurtis Byrne and John Mountney putting the Lilywhites out of sight by the interval before Jonathan Zydko's second-half consolation.

There were mixed fortunes for Danske Bank Premiership teams as Crusaders advanced to the next round but Glenavon crashed out.

Crusaders completed a 5-2 aggregate win over FK Ekranas of Lithuania with a 2-1 away triumph, Paul Heatley scoring a second-half brace either side of Lukas Kochanauskas' reply.

Glenavon lost 3-2 at home against FH Hafnarfjordur of Iceland, going down 6-2 overall.

Goals from Ingimundur Niels Oskarsson and Kristjan Gauti Emilsson put the visitors firmly in control of the tie in the first half.

Glenavon levelled on the night when Kevin Braniff and Eoin Bradley scored a couple of minutes apart around the hour, but nine minutes later Emilsson converted a penalty.

Two other Welsh teams were in action and both suffered the same fate as Aberystwyth in being eliminated.

Airbus UK lost 2-1 at Norwegian side FK Haugesund of Norway for a 3-2 aggregate defeat, with Michael Pearson equalising Torbjorn Agdestein's opener early on before the second half saw Maic Sema net for the hosts and Jordan Barrow sent off for the visitors.

Bangor City were on the end of an 8-0 aggregate thumping as they were beaten 4-0 at home by Icelanders Stjarnan, the goals being notched by Martin Rauschenberg, Arnar Bjorgvinsson (two) and Atli Johannsson.